Fear is a familiar experience for all of us. There are different forms in which it manifests; fear of rejection, failure and the unknown.
However, Franklin D. Roosevelt once said that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
I value these words greatly since they have shaped my perception of fear and how I face it.
Fear used to be my companion in life for some time preventing me from pursuing my dreams and taking risks. The reason is that I was afraid of failure, worried about what people would say or think about me as well as stepping out of my comfort zone. With age, however, I have come to understand that fear is just an illusion-an obstacle created within our minds.
One of the greatest fears that I had to overcome in my life was the fear of failing. As such, there were moments when I would not even dare try new things out because I was scared to fail. Nevertheless, I realized later on that failures are not a full stop but rather milestones towards success, each one teaches valuable lessons and makes us stronger people.
The fear of unknown is another one that has been haunting me. In the past, I was always afraid, feeling like everything should be planned and knowing exactly what the future holds for us.
But it does not work out that way in life. It is a given fact that you cannot avoid not knowing; hence, instead of running away from it like I used to do because of my fear for uncertainty, I have discovered how to take advantage of this chance for growth as well as exploration.
Secondly, many of us struggle with the demons in our lives because we are afraid they may reject us someday. For instance, people are so scared of being turned down by their dates, employers or even when pursuing their dreams thus leading to them failing to assert themselves. Nevertheless, rejection is simply a part of our lives and has nothing to do with who we are or what we can achieve in life.
This means that the more rejections we encounter headlong, the stronger we become . Rejection actually makes us very tough.
It hasn’t been easy fighting back fear over time and every day remains a battle against it for me. But I’ve learnt that courage and resilience are the best weapons against fear. Rather than letting my actions be controlled by fear, I decide to confront it without any fears at all because on the other side lies growth and opportunity, Onward through hell.
Fear may always be a component of our lives forever, but we do not possess it. We can conquer any obstacle in our way by accepting fear as a natural part of human life and fighting it with bravery and determination. As Franklin D. Roosevelt rightly observed: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." Therefore, we can surmount all that comes our way by such an attitude.
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